The NBA
Faces Fallout in China Over a Controversial Tweet; Scientists Identify New
Moons in Our Solar System; Conservation Efforts Help a Rare Butterfly
Aired
October 9, 2019 - 04:00 ET
CARL AZUZ,
CNN 10 ANCHOR: Basketball was invented in the United States by a Canadian
immigrant, but the National Basketball Association has more fans in China than
anywhere else, and that country just announced it won`t show or stream any NBA
preseason games played there. The reason why is our first topic today on CNN
10.
An
international political storm involving the National Basketball Association
started with a tweet. The subject of that tweet concerned recent protests in
Hong Kong.
For months,
demonstrators have been calling for more democracy and less influence by China.
Some of the protests have been violent. Hong Kong is a special administrative
region of China and the communist country says it has ultimate control over
what happens there.
So, there
are two sides in the story of the protests. And the basketball manager`s tweet
that picked a side is what led to the NBA controversy.
(BEGIN
VIDEOTAPE)
BRIAN TODD,
CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The National Basketball Association is risk of
fouling out in China while also facing boos and backlash from fans back home.
It all began
when the general manager of the NBA`s Houston Rockets, Daryl Morey, posted this
on Twitter over the weekend: Fight for freedom. Stand with Hong Kong.
But what may
have seemed like simple tweet ignited a geopolitical fire storm. That is
because Morey`s comment was a clear show of support for anti-China protesters
who have been out in force on Hong Kong streets for months. Hong Kong is
officially part of China. And to say the Chinese government was furious would
be an understatement.
UNIDENTIFIED
FEMALE TV ANCHOR (through translator): We want to warn people like Morey that
it is not realistic for them to earn a large amount of money from China while
hurting the feelings of the Chinese people.
TODD:
Chinese state TV demanded an apology. The league, which has stood up for free
speech by its players when it comes to U.S. politics backed down, saying
Morey`s views have deeply offended many of our friends and fans in China which
is regrettable.
The Rockets
owner and star players distanced themselves from their own general manager.
JAMES
HARDEN, HOUSTON ROCKETS GUARD: We apologized, you know. You know, we love
China. We love playing there.
TODD: Even
Daryl Morey himself whose original tweet has since been deleted, said he didn`t
intend to offend anyone in China, saying in a follow-up tweet: I have had a lot
of opportunity since the tweet to hear and consider other perspectives.
CHRISTINE
BRENNAN, SPORTS COLUMNIST, USA TODAY: The NBA has led the way in progressive
thought, in ideology and speaking your mind. And to see the NBA cave in this
manner is absolutely stunning.
TODD: So why
would the NBA, which one senator derisively called the wokest professional
sports league buckle to pressure from a foreign power?
Experts say
it`s because China is a financial slam dunk for the NBA, worth billions.
The NBA has
at least 25 marketing partnerships and more than 200 stores in China. More than
600 million people watched NBA games on Chinese TV during the 2017-2018 season.
BRENNAN: The
fact is that the NBA ratings were actually higher in China. More people in
China watched the NBA than watched the NBA in the United States. Extraordinary.
TODD: China,
sports analysts say, knows its influence on and off the court and immediately
started issuing threats.
The Chinese
Basketball Association led by the iconic Yao Ming, a former Rockets star player
himself, has said it would suspend cooperation with the Rockets.
The company,
Tencent Spots, the NBA`s exclusive digital partner for China, is suspending
live-streaming of Rockets games.
THOMAS
WRIGHT, THE BROOKINGS INSTITUTION: China has a long track record of placing
pressure on governments and companies that say things that offend the Chinese
communist party.
TODD: The
NBA`s response has led to a Rocket`s red glare with members of Congress and
others going hard in the paint against the NBA.
Leaders on
both side of the aisle from Republican Senators Ted Cruz to Mario Rubio to
Democrats Chuck Schumer and Congresswoman Jackie Speier are calling the NBA
hypocritical.
(END
VIDEOTAPE)
AZUZ: So,
the National Basketball Association is getting criticized on both sides of the
Pacific. On one hand, it says it regrets that the tweet offended its fans in
China, but on the other, the NBA`s commissioner says he still supports Daryl
Morey`s right to speak out.
(BEGIN VIDEO
CLIP)
ADAM SILVER,
NBA COMMISSIONER: We are not apologizing for Daryl exercising his freedom of
expression. I regret again having communicated directly with many friends in
China, that so many people are upset, including millions and millions of our
fans.
I understand
that there are consequences from that exercise of, in essence, his freedom of
speech and, you know, we will have to live with those consequences.
(END VIDEO
CLIP)
AZUZ:
Chinese media strongly disagreed with Commissioner Adam Silver on the issue of
free speech, responding to his statement, China`s main government-run TV
broadcaster said, quote: Any remarks that challenge national sovereignty and
social stability do no belong to the category of free speech.
China`s
constitution does give its citizens the right of freedom of speech, but human
rights organization say, in practice, China`s communist government limits that
right.
Commissioner
Silver says he plans to travel to China this week for a game between the Los
Angeles Lakers and the Brooklyn Nets. He`s hoping to meet with Chinese
officials to talk about the issue but says it may not be going away anytime
soon.
(BEGIN VIDEO
CLIP)
AZUZ
(voice-over): Ten-second trivia:
Which planet
has 82 known moons, the most in our solar system?
Venus,
Jupiter, Saturn, or Neptune?
The record
holder is no longer Jupiter. The planet with the most moons is Saturn.
(END VIDEO
CLIP)
AZUZ: That`s
because of a brand new discovery by the International Astronomical Union. It
says it recently identified 20 previously unknown moons around the ringed
planet, and that gives Saturn a total of 82 moons, surpassing Jupiter`s
previous record of 79. Sorry, Jupiter, but hey, at least you`re still a planet.
Scientists
say Saturn`s satellites, the newly identified ones, are all around the same
size and that they were located using stronger computing power and better
algorithms for keeping track of faint, distant objects. And now, you can help
name them.
There`s a
contest being held until December 6th. But there are guidelines. You can`t just
submit something like Kimberly. The astronomer whose team found the moons says
they have to be named after giants from Norse, Gallic or Inuit mythology. So,
good luck.
Up next
today, Palos Verdes is a peninsula in Southern California. It`s known for its
horse trails, ocean views, great schools, incredibly expensive homes and what
just might be the rarest butterfly on the planet.
The Palos
Verdes Blue Butterfly was thought to be lost forever after its habitat was
developed in the early 1980s. Since then, it`s been rediscovered, reinvigorated
and reintroduced to parts of the peninsula.
(BEGIN
VIDEOTAPE)
NARRATOR:
This butterfly was once thought to be extinct. Though rediscovered, it remains
one of the world`s rarest and most elusive butterflies.
This is the
Palos Verdes Blue Butterfly.
SUBTITLE: A
Great Big Story. On the Brink: The Palos Verdes Blue Butterfly.
NARRATOR:
This butterfly is as elusive as it is beautiful. And the brilliance of its blue
wings are only visible when it opens them. The wings are distinctive with their
brilliant silvery blue color.
The
butterfly was thought to be extinct in the 1980s, when it seemed to disappear
without a trace. It wasn`t until the 1990s that this visually striking
butterfly was spotted again. Biologists were surprised and delighted in its
existence, and a breeding program was begun to build up the species.
Though
captive breeding has helped bolster numbers, the population is still low enough
to remain on the endangered list. Through careful nurturing and management,
this small but mighty butterfly has a fighting chance.
This is the
Palos Verdes Blue Butterfly.
(END
VIDEOTAPE)
AZUZ: Ten
out of 10 goes to the marching band and color guard of Corona del Sol High
School in Tempe, Arizona, for illustrating how the show must
go on even
when the sprinklers do. This happened when they were in the middle of their
half-time show. But what won the crowd and national news coverage was their
determination to soldier on until the sprinklers were finally turned off. After
that, they took it from the top without missing a beat.
Well, that`s
certainly not in the drill book. Those students could have easily disbanded,
gotten brass off, had some drum major issues, faced plumes of problems or
dropped their color guard and marched off on a bad note. But by sheer
determ-instrumentation, they showed nothing could stop them even if it rained
on their parade.
That`s all
for CNN 10. I`m Carl Azuz.
END
